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Thousands panic over aftershock threat

Published: May 19, 2008 at 4:22 PM

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Thousands of Chinese flock to Tienanmen Square to attend the first day of a three-day state-sanctioned mourning of the tremendous loss of life in the earthquakes that hit Sichuan and other provinces, in Beijing on May 19, 2008. From Beijing to the devastated southwest, China came to a standstill Monday to mourn its earthquake victims as the number of dead, missing or buried soared past 71,000. Air sirens wailed across the country as most motorists stopped and blared their horns, bringing an eerie halt to China's usually bustling big cities for three minutes from 2:28 pm, the moment the quake struck a week ago. (UPI Photo/Stephen Shaver)

CHENGDU, China, May 19 (UPI) -- Thousands of residents of Chengdu in China's quake-stricken Sichuan province attempted to flee the city late Monday because of an aftershock warning.

The region was hit by a massive earthquake one week ago. The government now says that quake measured 8 on the open-ended Richter scale and left at least 34,073 people dead with tens of thousands more injured, buried or missing. The death toll is projected to reach 50,000.

The panic began after a television station warned of the possibility of another strong aftershock, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported. Cars were stuck in gridlock as thousands attempted to flee Chengdu. Others set up camp outdoors in parks or in the street to be away from buildings in the event of another tremor.